Crossroads (2)

I wasn’t the only one surprised by Ethan’s excessive interest in Lilia. The other students were equally shocked to see Ethan casually recite Lilia’s full name without hesitation.

This made sense because Lilia’s name had always been used as a gameplay device representing “a name too difficult to remember.” It wasn’t just hard for players-even characters in the game struggled with it.

Even after playing 『Luminor Academy』 25 times, I had long given up on memorizing Lilia’s full name. Yet Ethan, who had only seen her a few times during spearmanship sparring matches, remembered it perfectly. There could only be one reason for this.

‘…Is he interested in Lilia?’

Honestly, I couldn’t think of any other explanation. Especially considering how Lilia’s route worked in 『Luminor Academy』.

Many players thought, “Since Lilia is in the Spearmanship Department, joining the same department would make it easier to pursue her,” and chose to enroll there. But that was only half true.

The Barbakus tribe, where Lilia was born and raised, were barbarians who still lived by hunting and gathering. For barbarians fighting wild monsters barehanded, spears and bows were the most efficient weapons.

Bows were difficult to make and maintain, so the Barbakus tribe mostly fought with spears. Naturally, Lilia grew up watching her grandfather, father, brothers, uncles, and friends all wield spears in battle.

While using the same weapon could create a sense of familiarity, it sometimes became an obstacle in deepening relationships. People tend to be less interested in things they already know well.

On the other hand, enrolling in the Swordsmanship Department meant fewer encounters with Lilia, but there would still be opportunities to clash in shared classes where sword and spear techniques could be compared. More importantly, using a different weapon could pique her interest.

In other words, Ethan’s current position was the most advantageous for attracting Lilia’s attention. And the fact that he knew so much about her already…

‘He must be interested in Lilia, no doubt about it…’

Lilia’s impression was that of a typical barbarian warrior, completely different from Lilith, but that didn’t mean she lacked charm.

Though her chest was slightly smaller, she had a well-toned, slender figure, was the second tallest among all heroines, and-most notably-had the most defined abs of them all.

On top of that, she frequently loosened her uniform in the academy, casually exposing her midriff because she found it “stuffy.” So if Ethan had fallen for her abs at first sight…

‘Should I start doing sit-ups or something…?’

Lilith’s body wasn’t lacking in healthiness either. Right now, her abs were just hidden beneath a moderate layer of fat, but if she slimmed down a little, they would undoubtedly show.

The problem was that you couldn’t selectively lose fat from just one area. If she lost weight, her chest would shrink too-and that would mean sacrificing Lilith’s greatest asset.

But if I didn’t do something, Ethan’s attention might genuinely shift to Lilia. To prevent that, maybe I should train a little…

‘Wait, why do I even care?’

Why am I worrying about who Ethan likes? Whether he’s into Lilia or Lara, what does it matter to me?

Our relationship was just temporary anyway. We weren’t real lovers, and there was a good chance we’d part ways without looking back after graduation. If Ethan got interested in another girl midway, that would just be the end of it.

Just as I was scolding myself for overthinking something so trivial, Agnes cautiously asked Ethan a question.

“When did you memorize that? That ridiculously long name?”

“I didn’t memorize it. I just remembered its meaning. It’s easier if you think in Barbarian language.”

“Barbarian language?”

“‘Lilia’ means ‘Guardian of Nature’ in Barbarian. ‘Marasendar’ translates to ‘Sweet and Beautiful Flower,’ and ‘Galenhar Sorbene’ means ‘Embraces Fragrance.’ ‘Barbakus’ is the name of her tribe, so the only part you really need to memorize is her surname, ‘Phionis.’

In Imperial language, her full name means ‘Guardian of Nature from the Barbakus Tribe, Embracing the Fragrance of the Sweet and Beautiful Flower, of the Phionis Family.’ Once you understand that, remembering ‘Lilia Marasendar Galenhar Sorbene Phionis Barbakus’ becomes easy. You won’t forget now, right, Blaze?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The room fell silent again at Ethan’s absurd explanation.

When did he even learn Barbarian language? And since when was learning a language that easy?

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one baffled. Agnes snapped at him indignantly.

“That’s way harder than just memorizing the name! Are you messing with me?!”

“Languages are systems created for communication, making them one of the easiest subjects to learn. Even if the words are unfamiliar and the syntax is different, a week of study is enough to grasp the basics.”

“A… week? You learned it in a week?”

“…Even for you, Prince Ethan, a week sounds a bit unbelievable.”

“I sometimes need to use the Blessing of Wisdom just to talk to Lady Lilia…”

“……”

With Agnes, Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, and Celista ganging up on him three-to-one, even Ethan seemed to realize how abnormal he sounded.

‘So he didn’t memorize it because he was interested in Lilia-he’s just a genius.’

Now that I think about it, his mother was the Archmage Tanathia.

In her youth, she mastered five elemental magics-three of which she could cast simultaneously-and spoke six languages, including Imperial. In terms of linguistic ability, she was practically a god.

Magic itself began with learning magical languages. Even I had to cram my head full of incantations that felt like they’d split my skull-except for the spells I learned using skill points.

Learning five magical languages wasn’t enough for her; she went ahead and mastered five more foreign languages. That was beyond human comprehension.

Even if Ethan was considered “slow” compared to Tanathia or Harold, that was only because those two were monsters. Objectively speaking, Ethan was still a genius.

“…Lilith, am I the weird one here?”

“Master Ethan isn’t the strange one… It’s just that we haven’t escaped the bounds of mediocrity.”

“No, he’s weird. Even if Barbarian is a simple language, learning it in a week is…”

“Lady Agnes, Master Ethan’s mother is Archmage Tanathia.”

“…Oh. Right.”

Agnes immediately backed down at the mention of “Archmage Tanathia.”

Ah, the son of Archmage Tanathia. Yeah, that makes sense.

She must have rationalized it that way. After all, his father was Sword Master Harold too. A genius born from geniuses.

Even as a prodigy of fire magic and the future master of the Crimson Tower, Agnes had no choice but to acknowledge Ethan’s innate talent when reminded of his lineage.

In the game, Ethan never got the chance to show off this talent, ending up as just an early-game villain. But in a situation like this, recognition was inevitable.

Well, anyway…

‘At least he wasn’t interested in Lilia after all.’

Honestly, the guy who got excited over my underwear this morning wouldn’t suddenly start eyeing another girl.

In pure popularity polls, Lilith ranked in the top three despite the unfair “non-virgin” stigma-proof that her looks and figure were second to none.

Not that Lilia was unattractive or lacked charm. It’s just that her competition was me.

‘He really had me worried for nothing.’

…Wait, why was I even worried about Ethan being interested in Lilia…?

“Anyway, I’m counting on you three to help Lara with her witch trial in the southwestern Witch’s Forest. Consider this a replacement for the ‘temporary partnership’ we discussed earlier.”

“…What’s your angle?”

“Angle?”

“You shackled my Lilith under the pretense of a ‘temporary partnership,’ yet now you’re suddenly sending us on an errand. What’s your real intention? If this replaces the ‘temporary partnership,’ doesn’t that mean you’re failing to prove the effectiveness of you and Lilith working together?”

“That’s true, but if I went to the Witch’s Forest alone with Lilith and sent you to the northeastern grasslands, you’d refuse, wouldn’t you?”

“Obviously. That would violate my third condition. Try it if you want your head chopped off.”

“…That’s why I’m doing it this way. According to the prophecy, both the events in the northeastern grasslands and the southwestern Witch’s Forest must be resolved in time-they’re critical issues.

That’s why I’m entrusting them to you, the only people I can somewhat trust. Lilith becoming my partner can start after we arrive, can’t it?”

“If you later claim that a half-hearted partnership isn’t good enough-“

“I won’t say that. The temporary partnership ends here. The point wasn’t to verify Lilith’s qualifications as a partner but to show what she could do as my partner, even for a day or two.

As long as Lilith acts as my partner for even an hour or two and accomplishes something, that’s proof enough. I won’t bring it up again.”

From Ethan’s perspective, this proposal must have seemed suspicious, but knowing the truth, I could roughly guess why Gyeotmwa Josyegigot was acting this way.

He never intended to make me a permanent party member. He only asked for my help to handle the current “two-body-required event.”

The method was just a bit forceful, making it seem odd. But now that I knew the truth, I felt relieved.

“…Then, one last question.”

“What is it?”

“What if we help this ‘Lara’ pass her witch trial before you arrive, making your involvement unnecessary?”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“Huh?”

“…The witch trial Lara must undergo isn’t something that can be passed in just one or two weeks.”

…Well, that’s certainly true.